Megachurch fires student pastor after he confesses to ‘inappropriate contact with a minor’ 10 years ago
The lead pastor of the multi-campus Hope Fellowship in Texas, John McKinzie, has announced the firing of one of the megachurch’s student pastors, Jerry Nickerson, after he voluntarily confessed to engaging in “inappropriate contact with a minor” 10 years ago.
Nickerson served as the student pastor of Hope Fellowship’s Frisco West Campus.
McKinzie made the announcement to church members in an email to members on Wednesday, and published by abuse survivor advocate Amy Smith on her website Watchkeep.
“On Monday, the Frisco West Student Pastor, Jerry Nickerson, voluntarily disclosed inappropriate contact with a minor from when he was an adult volunteer youth leader at a previous church 10 years ago,” McKinzie wrote.
“This incident occurred before his time at Hope Fellowship, and we had no prior knowledge of this situation or any allegations against him. It became known to us on Monday after Jerry voluntarily disclosed this information to Hope Fellowship. We are not aware of any other incidents. Following his confession, Jerry’s employment with Hope Fellowship was terminated,” the megachurch leader explained.
“We are devastated by this news. We believe that this behavior is disqualifying to those in pastoral and leadership positions, and Hope Fellowship is committed to supporting and advocating for victims of abuse.”
Prior to joining Hope Fellowship, Nickerson, who is married, served as youth pastor at Victory Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, but it was unclear where he was serving 10 years ago.
In a statement to The Christian Post Friday, leaders of Victory Church confirmed that Nickerson worked with them as a youth pastor from September 2018 to July 2021 and they were "devastated" by his recent confession.
They noted that their hiring process includes "comprehensive background checks" and nothing about Nickerson's abuse were highlighted in their process.
Pastor McKinzie revealed in his letter to Hope Church members that Nickerson was prompted to confess his past failure after he was “unexpectedly confronted about the past incidents” last weekend.
He said the church was not aware of Nickerson’s behavior until he made his confession on Monday.
“There were no accusations at the time of hire, and nothing on record that would have shown up in any background check or reference check. Jerry’s background check was clear upon hire,” McKinzie said.
The megachurch leader further noted that Hope Church has not spoken to Nickerson’s victim or has any relationship with the person but applauded the victim for coming forward.
“They reside in a different city and have not attended or frequented Hope Fellowship to our knowledge. We applaud their courage and support them coming forward 10 years later,” McKinzie noted.
“In this challenging time, we are committed to fostering open communication and transparency. If you have concerns or have information we should be informed about, please don’t hesitate to reach out,” he added while sharing the email contact for the church’s leadership team: leadership@hopefellowship.net.
Congregants were urged to report more serious matters to the relevant authorities.
McKinzie further noted that Nickerson’s alleged victim has not yet filed any criminal charges.
Houston-Area Pastor Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Possessing Child Sex Abuse Material
The former pastor of a now-shuttered Calvary Chapel congregation in south-central Texas has been sentenced to two years in prison for possessing child sex abuse material.
On Tuesday, Judge Phil Grant of the 9th District Court of Texas sentenced Bruce Hollen, 63, to two years in state prison, according to court records. Hollen, who will be credited 24 days for time served, began serving his sentence the same day.
For several years, Hollen had been lead pastor of Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands in the north suburbs of Houston. As The Roys Report (TRR) previously reported, he had been arrested last May as part of a statewide sting operation focused on internet crimes against children.
Court records summarized in the report describe the images that Hollen possessed as “of girls between the ages of 9 and 12 years old, naked from the waist down . . . In some of the images, the girls were engaged in sexual activity.”
Last November, Hollen pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to promote child pornography, a second-degree felony. Judge Grant convicted him of the charges on Tuesday.
TRR reached out via previous email contacts to Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands for comment but did not receive a response. The church’s listed phone number has been disconnected.
According to multiple sources, the church closed as of last year.
A former member of Hollen’s church, who spoke to TRR on condition of anonymity, confirmed the closure.
The woman, who lives in nearby Spring, said that following news reports published last May of the pastor’s alleged crimes, the church held no further services and was disbanded.
Calvary Chapel of The Woodlands had been founded in 2002, according to public records, with Hollen listed as the sole organizational officer.
On Friday morning, the church was still listed on the website of the Calvary Chapel Global Network (CGN). Hours later, after TRR sought comment from CGN, the listing had disappeared.
“Each Calvary Chapel church operates independently, so we do not have records related to your questions,” stated CGN Director of Operations Michelle Wright to TRR. “We are not formally affiliated with an association of churches, nor do we function as a governing body.”
The church’s listing on Yelp – including the address of a local school whose auditorium was formerly rented for Sunday services – notes that “this location has closed.”
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